Distilling plant



2 Sheets-Sheet l J. T. MYERS DISTILLING PLANT Filed Aug.

March 10, 1931.

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m w mw mwm wm mfi a my r F L| J v- March 10, .1931. .1. T. MYERSDISTILLING PLANT (ZZjZyenz'mvEmR My ATTOR NEY Patented Mar. 10, 1931UNITED. rares- PATENT OFFICE JOHN T. MYERS, on em. ANDREWS, rnoninaDIs'rIL ING PLANT Application filed August 10, 1928. Serial No. 298,638.

tort to continuous pressure of moistened heat to force the vapors out ofthe wood and to then force the vaporsinto a conduit laid along the side,bottom 'or top of the retort, 15 so that the vapors are held in theconduit to further heat and reduce the same, as well as to cause theconduit with the heated vapors therein to assist in reducing or cookingthe.

wood and thereafter conducting such vapors 99 from the conduit through avalve controlled pipe into a condenser so that the wood will bedistilled without producing tar and further wherein heavy distillations,such astar will, be directed out of the retort. 25 The invention will befully and comprehensively understood from a consideration of thefollowing detailed description when read in connection with theaccompanying drawings which form part of the application, with theunderstanding, however, that the improveme'nt is capableof extendedapplication and is notconfined to the exact showing of the drawings norto the precise construction described and, therefore, such changes andmodifications may be made therefrom as do not affect the spirit of theinvention nor exceed the scope thereof as expressed in the ap-;

pended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a wooddistillery in accordance with thisinvention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view approximately on the line 2-2"of Figure 3.

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view on the line 33 of'Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a detail longitudinal sectional view through ,oneof thesteam or water con- 7 ducting pipes.

Referring now to the drawings in detail,

7 the numeral designates the retort. The

front, back and bottom walls of the retort are preferably constructed ofconcrete, the bottom wall gradually inclining from-the front wall to theback wall. The front is provided with the usual opening that is closedby a metal door 2, and the open top of the retort has arrangedtransversely thereon angle or likeirons 8, upon which rests and issecured the top plate 4. The top plate 4 is designed to be covered withsand. The sides of the .00 retort are of metal and are indicated by thenumerals 5. These sides are arranged at an inclination so thatthe retortis gradually widened from its bottom to its top. Themetal plates 5provide the inner faces of brick furnaces which are arranged the entirelength of the retort and, each of these furnaces at the rear of theretort is provided with a chimney stack 7.

Arranged longitudinally along the top and adjacent to the plates 5 thereare steam conducting pipes 7. The longitudinal branches of these pipesare provided with spaced apertures Sdirected angularly toward the plates5 and the connecting element or pipe 9 for the longitudinal branchescomprises sections which are centrally coupled for the reception of apipe 10 that leads to the top of the retort and which is connected witha suitable source of steam or water supply. v

Theidoors for the furnaces 6 are arranged at the front of the device andare indicated by the numerals 11, respectively.

Buried at the rear of the retort slightly below the lower wall orinclined floor 13 thereof there is a concrete tank '14. This tank isdesigned tobe partly filled with a fluid, sufficient to immerse the openface of a substantially rectangular trap 15 therein, the said. trap 15being piped, as at 16, through the rear wall of the retort in a linewith the floor 13 thereof. I

In the showing of the drawings I have illustrated resting upon the floor13 of the retort a pipe with a comparatively large bore and which pipeis in the nature of a vapor con duit. This pipe is indicated by thenumeral 17 V and has at its forward end an upwardly directed U-coupling18. The conduit 17, at i Isa-rend, which is arrang d close rosimity tothe rear wall of the retort has coupled thereto a vertically directedpipe 19 and this pipe ias its upper end, which tern'iinates only aslight distance from the top of the retort coupled to a pipe 20 whichleads through the rear wall of the retort and which is connected to avapor condenser 21. The pipe 20 has its passage controlled by a handoperated valve 22.

lhe wood is piled in the retort in the usual manner and the fire isstarted in the furnaces 6. The top of the retort and the side plates 5are of steel. Initially the valve 22 is turned off, and as the wood isheated, the retort is lled with hot steam from the pipes 'Z. This vaporis directed against the steel plates 5. As the wood is heated the retortis filled with hot vapor, which when driven out of the wood rises to thetop of the retort until the said retort is full of hot vapor. From theaccumulation of this hot vapor in the retort a pressure is developed.The vapor is then forced through the pipe 17, and when the valve 22 isopened, out and into the condenser 21. By the arrangement of the conduitfor the vapor the retort is full of hotvapor all of the time which heatsand reduces. the wood to charcoal. By this arrangement the coldestvapors are taken from the retort, the hot vapors remaining in the retortfor heating purposes. This makes it possible to heat the wood uniformlythroughout and as the heat increases there is finally a retort full ofhot vapors from top to bottom and these vapors reduce the wood tocharcoal. Obviously the conduit or vapor pipe 17 could. be elevatedabove and arranged adjacent either side of the retort instead of beingpositioned near the bottom of the retort should the same be founddesirable. This is accomplished by swinging the conduit pipe and itsbranch 19 on the latters threaded connection with the outlet pipe 20,and also turning the iii-coupling 18 to a vertical position. In thisevent th coupling 18 would extend a greater distance above the anglepipe 16 as the tar or heavy vapors find a passage through this passage16 and enter the trap in the well 14. An object of the pipes 7, inaddition to creating a moistened heat in the retort is to prevent thesides of the retort from becoming red hot when first heated and beforethe vapors are driven out of the wood as the said sides are sprayed fromthe steam or water from the pipes 7.

This steam also supplies the moisture that is necessary in the firstoperation of the distillation and also prevents explosion in the retortwhich migh otherwise occur from wood naptha or other explosive gases.

lVith my device the coldest vapors are taken from the retort, the hotvapors remaining to reduce the wood, and pressure is obtained whichmakes the heat uniform throughout the retort. The hot vapors in theconduit materially assist in reducing the wood.

Having described the invention, I claim:

1. A distilling plant for wood comprising a retort, whose bottom isinclined from its front to its rear, said retort having a top made up ofmetal beams and a sand holding plate supported by and arranged over thebeams, furnaces at the sides of the retort, the inner walls of thefurnaces comprising steel plates, a tank at tne rear and below thebottom of the retort, an angle pipe entering the rear at the bottom ofthe retort, a box-like trap on the angle pipe received in the tank,apertured steam supply pipes in and arranged along the top and sides ofthe retort for directing steam against the side plates of the retort, aconduit pipe normally lying on the top of the bottom of the retort,having a U- coupling at one end, and a vertical branch at its oppositeend, which branch is disposed in close proximity to the rear wall of theretort, an outlet pipe connected to the branch and extending through therear wall of the retort, said outlet pipe having its passage valvecontrolled, and a condenser to which the outlet pipe is connected.

2. An apparatus for distilling wood comprising a retort that includes aclosed receptacle whose bottom is inclined from its front wall to itsrear wall, furnaces at the sides of the retort and the division wallsbetween the furnaces and the retort being of metal, a tank at the rearand below the bottom of the retort, a tar outlet pipe directed throughthe rear wall and arranged in a line with the bottom of the retort, andhaving an angle end disposed over the tank, a box-like trap on said endof the pipe received in the tank, a conduit pipe for light vaporsarranged in the retort having one of its ends provided with a U-coupling and its second end provided with a vertical branch, an outletpipe received through the rear wall of the retort and threadedlyconnected with the branch of the vapor conduit to permit of the saidconduit being swung to various angles in the retort, a valve controllingthe passage through the outlet pipe, a condenser to which the said pipeis connected, apertured steam supply pipes in and arranged along the topat the sides of the retort, for directing steam against the metal platesthat provide the sides of the retort.

8. An apparatus for distilling wood com prising a retort that includes aclosed receptacle whose bottom is inclined from its front wall to itsrear wall, furnaces at the sides of the retort and the division wallsbetween the furnaces and the retort being of metal, a tank at the rearand below the bottom of the retort, a tar outlet pipe directed throughthe rear wall and arranged in a line with the bottom of the retort, andhaving an angle end disposed over the tank, a box-like trap on said endof the pipe received in the tank, a conduit pipe for light vaporsarranged in the retort, having one of its ends provided with a U-coupling and its second end provided with a vertical branch, an outletpipe received through the rear wall of the retort and threadedlyconnected with the branch of the vapor conduit to permit of the saidconduit being swung to various angles in the retort,a Valve controllingthe passage through the outlet pipe, a condenser to which the said pipeis connected, apertured steam supply pipes in and arranged along the topat the sides of the retort, for directing steam against the metal platesthat provide the sides of the retort, and the said metal sides oftheretort being arranged at inward angles wherebyto gradually increasethe width of the furnaces from the bottom to the top portions thereof.In testimony whereof I afilx my signature.

JOHN T. MYERS.

